I Will Remember You
by xXxCometxXx
Summary: Kai never knew Gou existed. But as he gradually grasps the idea of parenthood and allows his newfound offspring into his new life, they both as father and son begin a journey together to find what it truly means to be family and soon realise that to find the answers they want, they have to connect with each other and piece together memories of one person who ties them together.
1. Who's My Dad?

"Flight G4011 from Heathrow to New York City has just landed at terminal 6; that's flight G4011 from Heathrow to New York City has just landed at terminal 6." The loudspeaker at the Newark International Airport announced. A young woman of 27 with auburn hair let out a relieved sigh. She had stress etched all over her face: her skin looked pale, her eyes looked tormented from lack of sleep and her hair was tied up in a strict ponytail, some strands of hair stuck out in tendrils. She looked haggard. And it was only 9am.

"I hope he's boarded safely on that plane – I've been worrying enough about whether I should have come to Heathrow to get him." The young woman muttered, taking another sip of her water from where she sat at the café within the airport.

"Is there anything else I can get you, ma'am?" A young male waiter suddenly appeared before her just as she was getting up from her seat.

"No. No thank you, sir. I'm quite finished here." She replied quietly, picking up her bag and left, making her way to terminal 6. The person she had been waiting had arrived. And that person was in fact a young boy. A 7 year old boy to be accurate. _I can't believe I let Lily talk me into this! How does she know I'm reliable enough to drop off a child? And how does she know his father will take him in? It's not like I can really afford to house the boy if his father refuses to take him…_

The woman again sighed and brushed a stray hair from her face. There was no going back now. She accepted the job and now she was going to uphold her end of the bargain; take responsibility for a young boy who could not look after himself. This wasn't ideal for anyone: so the least she could do was try to help solve the situation as quickly, helpfully and painlessly as possible.

"Oh man, who am I kidding?" The young woman growled to herself. Then she spotted him. A young boy with two toned blue hair, standing tall and strong with his bag on his back and holding a comic book. _Oh boy…_ She thought. This is certainly not what she was expecting. But when his innocent little eyes fell on her as she held up her welcome sign, she smiled. He was a very cute little boy indeed!

"You must be little Gou. It's good to see you at last. I was getting a bit worried when I heard that your flight was delayed!" The young woman smiled at the young boy addressed as Gou. He smiled back at her cutely.

"And you must be Verity. It's pleasure to meet you." The boy said politely, holding out his hand. Verity was surprised. He certainly wasn't what she expected! But even so she smiled, and shook his hand gently. He had a very firm grip. _Very familiar indeed,_ She thought.

"I am indeed. How did you know? Did Lily tell you?" Verity asked as they both began to walk towards the baggage conveyor belt to pick up his belongings.

"Yes she did – well actually she showed a picture of when you both were younger and I remembered what you looked like." Gou replied.

"Really? My, my! You certainly are a very bright young man. And I suppose you have noticed a difference from then to now?" Verity smiled roguishly as she imagined which photo Lily had picked to show Gou.

"It's photographic memory – the photo I saw of you and Lily was when you two were 19. And actually, you don't look much different – just a bit older – and plainly stressed from what's been going on recently." Gou shrugged casually, looking for his bags among the huge amount of luggage that was coming from the flight he had just come off. Verity was stunned. Where on earth did this little boy get these long words from? And where did he learn what photographic memory was?

_He's so clever! And Lily, bless her, she's not stupid by any means. But she and all our friends know that she wasn't exactly the brightest of gems…must be in the genes!_ Verity shook her head and smiled. She wasn't going to judge Gou because of his mentality, intellect or where his genes come from. She liked him already because he was very sweet and polite. Also he was being especially nice about the way she looked in comparison to when he was longer. It was being diplomatic, which you didn't see in most 7 year olds,

"Well that's very sweet of you, but unfortunately – none of us stay young forever." Verity smiled ruefully. From when she was 25, the years of hard work had taken its toll on her and she wasn't as young and fresh as she had been.

"Unless you count Dorian Grey." Gou piped up cheerfully, picking up his bags from the conveyor belt and putting it onto a bag trolley. Verity nearly dropped her bag.

"What on earth have you been reading or watching?" Verity was shocked.

"Oh it's ok, I saw the trailer for the movie once and I asked Lily to explain what it was about. She would never let me watch a 15 film." Gou replied, his manner carefree. Verity let out a relieved sigh.

"I was going to say, that would be a highly inappropriate film for you to watch at your age." Verity smiled gently, taking the heavy trolley from the young boy. She was quite impressed at how strong he was, trying to push the trolley all by himself.

"I wouldn't want to watch it even if I was the right age." Gou shrugged, not really looking bothered. Though his curious little eyes were looking everywhere at the big airport. Verity was mildly surprised.

"Why not? Doesn't that type of film appeal to you?" Verity asked, stepping through the automatic doors as they were just exiting the airport, Gou following neatly by her side with his increased pace.

"Not really. Even though it is quite interesting sometimes in terms of its history and what it means for some things." Gou said simply. Verity was beginning to grow really fond of the little boy with the messy two toned blue hair: he had a mind of his own and a personality that was just likeable for whatever reason it may be. Plus also he was very cute.

"I see. Well, we're just going to find my car in the car park and then we'll start our journey. We'll stop at the next food station we can find to get something to snack on – is that ok with you?" Verity explained to the young boy. He smiled brightly up at her in his cute way.

"Yes please!" Gou said, then he looked hesitant, "…Can I call you Auntie Verity? That's what I call yours and Lily's friends if they're the girls – I call the boy's Uncle." Verity beamed. She quite liked her friend's children calling her 'Auntie'. She loved spoiling them too.

"Of course you can, sweetheart. We're family!" She smiled at him brightly, her face slightly pink, "Aha! Here's our method of transport!" Verity declared as she pulled the trolley up to a silver Volkswagen Tiguan TDI. Or a compact SUV for short.

"Nice. You obviously look after it well." Gou observed as he picked up his bags from the trolley to put them in the open boot. Verity chuckled.

"Oh believe me, I've had this since I was 18. It's very old," She smiled ruefully, "Hop in then! We've got quite a way to go to get to where you're going." Verity and Gou slipped into the car; she allowed the young boy to sit with a car seat at the front seeing as it was only her and him in the car. Even though she didn't usually let small children sit in the front. She started the car and they began their journey.

* * *

"Wow! Get a load of this place!" Gou looked up in awe at the towering skyscrapers of New York City while munching on an apple. Verity smiled knowingly, taking another bite out of her egg and mayo sandwich: she loved the place as much as he did because there was just so much there and lots of things to do. Particularly at night, when everything was exciting.

"Have you been to big places like New York often?" Verity asked, keeping her eyes on the road. Some people in their cars were utter wankers when it came to driving safely in her opinion. But she wouldn't dream of saying that in front of little Gou.

"I've been to London and Oxford in the UK. I've visited Salou, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome and Moscow in Europe while I've visited Cairo and Luxor in Egypt." Gou closed his eyes at remembering how beautiful and wonderful each of the cities had been in their own way as well as how much he had learned…and also how empty he felt at knowing that dear Lily was not his biological mother. That he knew neither of his biological parents. That one of them may possibly be dead.

"Gou? Sweetheart? You ok?" Verity shook him gently. He had been daydreaming. He blinked and smiled.

"Sorry, I was just thinking. What did you say again?" Gou said apologetically, still being polite.

"I was just asking how your home life is with Lily. I haven't from her in a while. How is she?" Verity inquired, quite interested to know how Gou felt about his surrogate mother as well as wanting to find an opportunity to find out about how her old friend was faring.

"Yeah, it's fine. We do lots of outdoor stuff and she love spending time with me. So does Bryan. He's awesome. He taught me how to beyblade a few years ago. I love it!" Gou's eyes visibly sparkled at the mention of being able to beyblade, which is nothing less than what Verity expected of him. After all, she did know many characters who were professionals in the sport during her time when she was younger. She also grinned at the mention of Bryan: as time had gone on, the dude had begun to love children more and more. While having a child who naturally loves to beyblade will definitely make Bryan's time worthwhile!

"I take it Bryan still beyblades, then?" Verity asked. It had been 5 years since the top beybladers of her time had stepped down from their careers to let the youngsters take over and settled down to have their children or make paths with their other careers.

"When he has time. Often during the day he's out at the lab trying to experiment with new inventions. I've seen some of it – he's a genius!" Gou obviously had a huge amount of admiration for the man and his wife. No wonder they've lived together happily as family.

"How about the rest of mine and Lily's friends? Have you seen them?" Verity now inquired further. She had been in contact with a few of her old friends, but the rest she scarcely heard from because everyone seemed to be so busy.

"Oh man, this might take a while, sorry!" Gou started sheepishly, trying to remember where everyone was, "In Spain, Julia and her brother Raul are still living there. Julia's married but has no children. Raul has a girlfriend. Spencer and Tala live in Russia with their families. Tala has girl and a boy. Spencer has a girl. Ian lives close by: he's teaching kids how to beyblade.

"Miguel is living with Mathilda near Claude, somewhere in Portugal. Claude has a girlfriend and is sharing his apartment with Aaron, whose single himself. Enrique is still in Italy – and he's still a player (if you'll excuse me)! But I think he's starting to settle down with his current girlfriend. Oliver is in France as well as Romero. Oliver's married and has a little girl.

"Robert's in Germany carrying on the family business. He hasn't got a girlfriend. Salima's married to Kane and their travelling at the moment, being environmental activists. I think Jim and Goki are doing the same but not with their former teammates. Johnny's still in Scotland with his wife, I've met their daughter and son.

"Lee's living in China with his wife, he has a boy. Gary's close by to them but he has no children; he lives with Kevin as best friends. Gary still eats lots and Kevin sill acts like a monkey. Mariam and Ozuma are married; they have twins – a boy and a girl - and live in a nearby village from where I am. Joseph and Dunga live together as best friends nearby as well, but in a different town.

"Steve and Eddy? Lily hasn't heard from them in a while. Last time I heard, Steve was coaching American football in Las Vegas while Eddy was living with his girlfriends in Miami. Rick's still working with Judy Tate, running fitness sessions with the new professional bladers that are currently making the cut in Washington DC.

"Mystel's living with his wife in Greece, he has a boy and a girl. Garland's the same, but he doesn't have children. Crusher's still looking after his little sister in Michigan. Brooklyn's married and living somewhere in Chicago, he has a daughter.

"Zeo? Haven't heard from him in a while – but I do know he's gone travelling round the world now that he's finished school. Last time I heard he was in Australia. And last but not least, King and Queen. I think they're still participating in some beyblade tournaments, but only as regular guests because they're not doing it professionally anymore. In their spare time, I believe they teach young kids how to beyblade also with the BBA. I think that's everyone – if I've missed anyone out – sorry!" Gou finished and took a deep breath before giving Verity, who had been attentive all the way through, a small smile. Verity chuckled.

"My, my, your memory does do you a huge amount of credit. I'm very impressed that you remembered all of that." Verity was not insincere when she said this: she was indeed astounded by not only the height of the young boy's intelligence and own sense of independence, but also his memory was very acute.

"Not really if I can't remember who my own mother is." Gou replied softly, his face suddenly crumbling to something very lost and…sad. Verity bit her lip. She didn't mean to make him feel this way.

"Oh Gou, honey, I didn't mean it like that -" Verity felt very guilty for bringing this up, particularly when they had only just met. And they were getting on very well.

"It's ok. I know you didn't mean it to be that way, it's just me and what I was thinking." Gou said softly. He looked like he wanted to cry. Verity wasn't sure what to do, but by luck of timing the car came to halt before a red light at a crossing. She reached over to the young boy and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Don't feel guilty, Gou. Because you were only young when you would've have known your mum, so don't expect any vivid memories of the times you two spent together. And also, maybe it's something to look forward to that one day you will be able to find your mum." Verity said quietly, comforting the small boy. Gou looked her straight in the eye. She noticed something. Gou's eyes were a deep blue. _How familiar… _She thought.

"Maybe," Gou replied, then looked away for a few moments before turning back to her with a small smile, "Now let's start being happy. I know I do!" Verity let out a very relieved but quiet sigh.

"Yes. Let's be happy and appreciative for what we've got, hm?" Verity said in agreement.

"Have you got a boyfriend or a husband? And any kids of your own?" Gou suddenly asked, taking Verity faintly by surprise.

"As a matter of fact I do! I'm married to my husband, Michael. But we don't have any children. We prefer it that way - and don't get me wrong! - I like children. I'm just not ready at my age to have one." Verity replied, proud to say that she was quite happy with her life so far.

"Michael? He wouldn't happen to be one of the beybladers that used to be the top game?" Gou's eyes widened, Verity grinned.

"Indeed he is: he used to be part of the old team called the All Starz - which changed to PPB All Starz during their…2nd tournament with the tag teams - which included Steve, Eddy, Rick, Emily and during the tag team tournament, Max." Verity finished turning to see a puzzled look on Gou's face. She wasn't sure what she had said to have confused him.

"Emily? Max? I think Lily's mentioned them, but not in close detail. In fact I don't think I've ever seen a photo of them." Gou said thoughtfully. Verity almost crashed the car just as she was turning down a nearby street which was heading towards her home.

"You've never heard of Emily or Max? What about the Bladebreakers? Do you know who they are?" Verity asked, regaining her composure quickly before suspecting anything. Then she realised not only why they may never have been mentioned - but also because she remembered a certain someone that made Gou so familiar to her…

"Bladebreakers? That rings a bell, but I haven't heard much about them nor I have I seen any photographs. Why? Are there more friends that Lily knows about?" Gou asked, looking genuinely confused. And Verity wasn't far from it herself. _I don't think either of us or many others have heard from them in a while. I mean after all, I do believe that all of them have married and had a child…except one?_ She thought. Then she took another look at Gou - and she now realised what Lily was talking about.

"Oh help…" Verity muttered to herself as she pulled the car up the drive to a house with a small front garden and a garage. The lights were on inside. _Thank God! Michael's home,_Verity smiled. She didn't want to have to do the explaining on her own, "Here we are Gou, this is my home! And Michael appears to be home, so now you can meet him!"

"Oh cool!" Gou's brightened immediately: he was quite excited to meet an ex-top beyblader - he wanted to be like one too!

"Come on then! Let's get your stuff out the car and then we'll go inside. I expect you'll be wanting some dinner!" Verity chuckled as she opened the boot. Gou quickly made his way over and picked up all the stuff himself before Verity even got to look at it. _Very independent indeed…a certain characteristic I know well…_Verity thought with a rueful smile as she closed the boot and got out her keys. She walked up to the door with Gou in front of her and unlocked it. As they both stepped in, they were greeted with the pleasant smell of sandal wood lingering in the air and the warmth of the house.

"Honey? I'm home!" Verity called for her husband, who seemed to be elsewhere in the house, "And I've got someone who wants to meet you." Gou carefully placed his bags by the door as well as taking his shoes and coat off. The outfit he wore underneath his coat almost made Verity giggle. She could definitely see who gave the male genes! Gou's attire consisted of a black sleeveless top, dark blue cargo pants and black and red trainers.

"Where's my lovely wife then?" A male voice called from behind Verity. She grinned as she felt herself blush. It was habit that Michael made a point of doing whenever possible, making her feel special. She turned round to see Michael coming down the stairs. He was dressed in a black open shirt with dark blue jeans. His hair was still long, but Verity didn't want him to cut it off. It was a part of him.

"Right here Hun." Verity smiled at her husband as he gave her a peck on the cheek. He held her hand gently as he smiled back at her.

"So where's this young lad who wanted to meet me?" Michael asked in his good natured way. Naturally, he knew that his wife had gone to pick up a young boy from the airport; but she had not filled him in on the detail that she had received from Lily. Verity walked up to Gou and offered her hand, which he accepted cautiously.

"Gou, I would like you to meet my husband, Michael. Michael, I would like to meet this lovely young man, Gou." Verity smiled as the two looked at each other for the first time.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir." Gou said politely, holding out his hand. Michael shook it willingly, but he was also stunned.

"Verity, do you know…?" Michael trailed off as he turned to his wife, wanting answers. Although the couple hadn't been in contact with the Bladebreakers for a while, there was no mistaking the resemblance between this young boy and a certain member no one could forget easily.

"Yes. Gou doesn't know though - he hasn't been in contact with his mother since he was one year old and his father…well…" Verity trailed off. She didn't want to have to explain to Gou the truth. But she knew that she and her husband at least owed him an explanation for why both of them were acting strangely about his biological parents.

"Auntie Verity? What's going on? What's this about my mum and dad? Auntie Verity?" Gou suddenly spoke, looking nervous and almost…frightened? Verity turned to Michael, who nodded his head gravely before she went and took Gou by the hand. All of them made their way to the living room. Candles and lamps were alight. And on the mantelpiece were lots of photographs of ranging from when Verity and Michael were first going out all the way till their married state now. Verity calmly sat with Gou on the sofa while Michael took the seat opposite them quietly. Gou's innocent face looking lost and confused was really hard for both adults in the room to see. Life wasn't always fair. And here was a prime example of why it wasn't.

"Gou, honey, your father…doesn't know you exist. That was not by his own admission because you're mother left before you were born and I don't think even she knew till later that she was pregnant. So after your mother disappeared - according to Lily - she left no will and no instruction on what to do if she ever did…pass away or disappear without a trace.

"Therefore, it was decided by your father's old team, the Blitzkrieg boys who were your Uncle Tala, Spencer, Ian and Bryan on who you should live with. They decided that Bryan and Lily would be best because they were already living where your mother had grown up apparently. Unfortunately, it has taken Lily and Bryan a long time to find out who your biological father is," Verity stopped and took a breath. She didn't want to do this to Gou: she felt he was better off living with Lily and Bryan for now until he was old enough to decide whether he wanted to find his parents. But unfortunately the law had said that Gou's father had rightful custody to him as Gou's mother was still missing,

"However, recently your Uncle Tala and Ian found out who your father was. It was an old member of the team I mentioned in the car. The Bladebreakers. As far as we know, they are currently living closely together in New York and have done so since they were 19 years old. Obviously, I and Michael have not heard from them since then." Verity stopped again. Michael started again for her.

"We did and still do know that all of them have had children of their own. It wasn't until we found out who your father was that we believed that only one member was unmarried and childless." Michael said softly, remembering when each of his friends had rung him and his wife to let them know that they had children to follow them. They even had pictures sent to them. All of them were uncannily like their parents.

"But who's my dad then?" Gou said, tears now forming in his eyes. But despite that, he looked up at Verity and Michael, looking them both straight in the eye again. Now Michael also noticed the bright blue of his eyes, which were now sparkling not only because of the tears but also through the flames of the candles that were burning tenderly in the background. _That seems overly familiar…it's certainly not his father's eyes…so who's his mother then?_ Michael thought, not able to remember whether Kai had had a partner before. Verity had now reached the right time to reveal the painful truth.

"Your father is Kai Hiwatari…"

* * *

_**Piscesgirl09:**__ Here's a nice long chapter to start off the story - so hopefully it'll be a good read! Please review and tell me what you think so hopefully I can please everyone with my next chapter :) Happy reading! Stay tuned for chapter 2 =]_


	2. History Repeating Itself

_**The following story 'I Will Remember You' is strictly property of Piscesgirl09©.**_

_**The additional individuals of the persons Abbey, Verity Parker and Lily Krutznetsov belong exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very characters.  
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The storyline of the story 'I Will Remember You' belongs exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of this very storyline.  
The ideas put forward to the creation of 'I Will Remember You' belong exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very ideas.**_

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I do not claim possession of any of the individuals of Beyblade autobiographies.  
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* * *

"How would you like to go and meet your father's old teammates?" Verity finally spoke up the next morning, trying to break the tense silence over the breakfast table. The night before, she and Michael briefly decided to put Gou to bed and explain everything to him another time when he was settled in and feeling more comfortable. It was too late in an evening for them to have gone into detail.

The young bluenette stared blankly at his barely touched breakfast, unable to say a word. Although he liked his new auntie and uncle, he couldn't help wishing he was back home with Bryan and Lily – everything had been fine until he left them. So why now, did he need to discover who his father was? He already had a family, a home – was it worth disrupting it all for the sake of finding someone who he shared the same blood with?

The auburn haired female gave her husband a worried look at the lack of response from the young boy. "Gou, honey? Are you ok?" She asked gently, reaching over to touch his hand. Feeling light fingers brushing his comfortingly, the blue eyed boy looked up at Verity for the first time since he had started breakfast.

"Sorry." He mumbled, still very unsure of what to say. Last night had changed his life forever, pretty much. He now had a biological father: and the young boy wasn't even sure the great Kai Hiwatari even knew he existed. In fact, scratch that – of course the famous bluenette wouldn't know he had a son; otherwise Gou would've had a father all his life rather than just finding out amidst the age of 7.

The kind hazel eyed woman gave a sympathetic smile as she squeezed his hand. "It's ok, sweetheart. You don't need to be sorry. We'll get it all sorted out," She paused, before continuing with what she wanted to say, "Your father's teammates have children of their own – maybe you can go and meet them too, if you want?"

Gou's eyes lit up a little: although he would sometimes be more inclined to bide by himself, perhaps the prospect of having other children to play with wouldn't make his stay so bad after all. Maybe they might even beyblade..."They all have children?" He eventually asked, his expression perking up a little.

"Oh yes! Now let me think – Daichi has a little boy; Kenny and Emily have a little girl; Ray and Mariah also have a little girl; Max and his wife have a little boy and last but certainly not least, Tyson and Hilary have a little boy too." Verity shared a grin with Michael as they watched the young bluenette's face change into a thoughtful one.

Both of them pretty much thought the same thing – if the boys were anything like parents, Kai and Tyson's son would definitely be rivals in the beydish, no doubt. But they had a feeling that the two young boys might get on better with each other than Mr Hiwatari and Mr Granger ever did!

"When can we go and see them?" Gou stared at the two adults with a face that seemed to be caught between a mixture of excitement and wonder – his curious little mind wanted to know what sort of friends his father grew up with whilst they were young – and whether their children would be much different.

Looking at her watch and the calendar, the auburn haired female turned to her husband. Shrugging, the long blond haired male gave a smile. "Whenever you want to, hun. Give them a call." He said gently, getting up to take his breakfast things out. Before she had a chance to change her mind, Verity flashed Gou a grin and went over towards the phone. She quickly dialled number and waited for answer.

"Hello Hilary? It's Verity…Yes I'm fine thank you, how are you?...Good! Well myself and Michael were wondering whether we could come and see you today? We've got someone we would like you to meet…"

* * *

"Verity! Michael!" A female voice exclaimed as a figure with long chocolate brown hair came running out of the front door of the house towards where the couple and Gou were getting out of the car. The auburn haired female smiled broadly as she was met with a huge hug that nearly knocked her to the floor – behind them, a young man with navy blue hair followed behind with a grin on his face, his hand outstretched towards the blond haired male.

"Michael! How you doing man? Been a while!" Tyson shook hands with his friend as they greeted each other warmly. Already their wives were chatting and giggling as they started to catch up on what had been going on over the past few months since they last saw each other. Before long, the Granger couple then spotted the small bluenette boy standing close by with a blank expression on his face.

There was an awkward silence before the hazel eyed woman stepped in to clear the atmosphere. "Tyson, Hilary, I would like you to meet Gou. Gou, this is Tyson and Hilary Granger – who we were talking about earlier?" She spoke up with a bright smile, encouraging the young boy to interact with everyone. The Dragon blader sensed the boy's slight unease and stepped forward with a friendly smile, raising a slow hand in front of him.

"Hi there Gou! I'm Tyson – how old are you?" He asked kindly, his smile bringing light to his warm brown eyes. Seeing that there wasn't anything to be nervous about, the blue eyed boy felt a small smile tug at his lips as he reached to shake the older man's hand and bowed his head respectfully.

"I'm 7 years old, sir." Gou replied politely, looking at the new face directly in the eye. Tyson felt himself pause for a moment as he got a really good look at the young lad: he looked so much like a certain old friend that he knew – but surely he would've known if Kai had a son! Unless the famous Hiwatari didn't know that he had any offspring either...

"Oh, you are just adorable aren't you? Why don't you come inside and meet our friends? We've got a little boy your age – I'm sure he'd love to meet you!" Hilary stepped in cheerfully, her brown eye's also crinkled where her bright smile lit up her face. Although slightly taken aback by the overly warm welcome, the young bluenette allowed himself to be lead into the house without another word. Upon entering the Granger residence, the Parker's and Gou were greeted with an excited buzz as they followed the Granger's into the living room.

"Verity! Michael! Oh my goodness, it's so good to see you guys again!"

"Wow, Verity! You look great – when did you get that gorgeous haircut?"

"Michael! You still owe me a beyblade match dude – what's been up recently?"

"I can't believe we're all back together again..."

Sat in the middle of the room were the Bladebreakers and their families: by the looks of it, all the adults were enjoying a nice glass of wine while the children were playing happily in the corner of the room with whatever toys they could get their hands on. Soon everyone stopped talking to gaze in stunned silence at the blue eyed boy standing awkwardly in the doorway – a mini Kai Hiwatari?! Now that was news to everyone.

Another tense silence came upon the atmosphere as even the adults struggled to find something to say to this young boy without causing any offense or upset where his relations were concerned. But luckily they were saved when a young voice piped up joyfully from the other side of the room. "Hey – what's your name? I'm Makoto." A mini Tyson popped his head up from what he was doing to smile at the fellow junior. Seeing there was someone else his age, Gou started to feel like some of his confidence was returning to him.

"I'm Gou. Nice to meet you Makoto." The blue eyed boy smiled a little as the navy haired boy walked quickly over towards him with a grin, holding a beyblade in his hand – now that definitely was starting to cheer the young Hiwatari up! If this new kid could beyblade, then nothing else really seemed to matter for the moment. Catching each other's eyes, the two boys seemed to be getting on well. Or at least much better than their father's ever did!

"Cool name! Do you beyblade? My dad has a dish outside that me and my friends use." The young Granger pointed towards a dark blue and grey beydish waiting outside in the bright sunshine. The young Hiwatari grinned and pulled out his own beyblade, competition now shining in his bright little eyes as he followed his new found friend out of the patio doors to go and get started.

Everyone then turned to Verity and Michael, shock written across their faces.

* * *

"So let me get this straight: you get a phone call from Bryan and Lily after all this time to tell you that Kai now has a long lost son?" Tyson finally started as his wife went round quickly making everyone a cup of tea, everyone else also mirroring his daze as they all sat silently in their seats. They just couldn't get over it – their once fellow team mate had a child? It would almost be funny if it wasn't for the fact that no one even knew who the mother was, or where the boy came from. Plus also, how would his father react? Pretty everyone in the room guessed it wasn't going to be a positive reaction.

"Yeah. At first I thought she was joking; but then she said that they got him DNA tested, and the results came back – absolutely positive that Kai was the father, but absolutely no record of the mother. Then I came to pick him up at the airport…you just can't have any doubt about it." The auburn haired woman sighed, looking out the window to check that Gou was doing ok – so far he and Makoto seemed to be getting on very well, which was a relief. At least the kids had some form of distraction while the adults tried to sort out this mess.

Ray's eyebrows furrowed as he held onto Mariah's hand, looking thoughtful. "I can't believe Kai actually has a kid…particularly after all these years, saying that he never wanted children…he's not going to take this very well, I don't think." He spoke up uncertainly, the rest of the group nodding in agreement. The navy haired man looked up at Hilary as she sat on the arm of the chair, stroking his hair as her ruby eyes stared back, clearly sharing the same thought.

"Perhaps we should get him to come down here – maybe he might come to terms with it easier if he saw Gou for himself." The brunette woman murmured, too looking out the window to get a better look at the young bluenette playing with her son. Max frowned as he took a sip of his tea, clearly not agreeing with that possibility as his baby blue eyes darkened with hesitance.

"But then how would we get him down here? He doesn't visit very often – and we all know he's quite busy with work." The blonde man commented, again bringing another murmur of agreement across the room. No one knew what to do: for a start, none of them could possibly keep the blue eyed boy with them, as legally he was Kai's responsibility. And yet they were worried at how their relationship might be – as the Chinese Bladebreaker pointed out, the once Phoenix blader wasn't fond of children – so what were the odds of him actually accepting his son?

Eventually the Japanese Bladebreaker rubbed his eyes and sighed heavily, heaving himself off his seat to go towards the phone. "I'm going to call him. We shouldn't sit here and assume what he might do – we should let him deal with it himself." He stated, his tone pretty much indicating that he had made his decision. Picking up the cordless device, he slowly dialled the number and waited for someone to pick up on the receiving end. There was a small click.

"Hello?" A deep masculine voice answered, clearly sounding like they really didn't want to be bothered at the moment. The Dragon forced down a smile at his friend's typical greeting – as much as the bluenette appeared to still be at his loner like ways, there was no doubt that the two and the others were still friends. Clearing his throat quickly, he got himself together and went for it.

"Hey Kai, its Tyson." He replied with forced cheerfulness, knowing full well what kind of response he would receive.

"Oh it's you." The Hiwatari grumbled down the other end of the phone, indicating that his former team mate wasn't exactly the person he wanted to hear from right now. Tyson chuckled as he leant against the door frame leading to the kitchen, his warm brown eyes twinkling as he deliberately ignored his friend's grouchy greeting.

"Sorry to bother you, buddy - but, um, the team is here at my house right now…and we would like you to come down and join us?" He replied, hoping that his request didn't sound too much like an order – Hiwataris never liked being told what to do, and the bluenette was no exception. Even though as he got older, he wasn't as bad as he used to be. Or at least towards his friends anyway.

The navy haired man could imagine the deadpan look on his friends face, judging by the silence. "Any particular reason or occasion?" Finally came the answer, the tone of the Phoenix's voice saying it all for him already – Why are you even asking me in the first place? - The eldest Granger then sighed and decided to be frank with his friend.

"Yes – there's someone you should meet, and I'm being completely serious. You need to come down…please Kai?" The Japanese Bladebreaker said flatly, closing his eyes as he prayed that Kai would take the bait and come down. There was a long pause as he heard a shuffle of movement down the end of the phone: right now he could imagine his former team mate now pinching the top of his nose, eyes shut whilst contemplating his thoughts.

There was a heavy sigh. "Tyson, this isn't another ploy for me to come down and play with the kids, is it?"

The Dragon nearly did a double take as his eyes widened slightly, not quite believing what he just heard. "Kai, I'm not joking – this is really important, and it would be better if you came down sooner rather than later: trust me when I say this – this won't just be a 10 minute drop in." He repeated again, his tone equally as serious as his statement. Clearly getting the message, he heard the bluenette stop what he was doing and sighed again.

"Fine. I'll be down in 10 minutes. You better not be pulling my leg Tyson, or I might be forced to really hurt you for once." The Russian Bladebreaker threatened darkly down the phone, still sounding as dangerous as he was when he was a teenager. Raising an eyebrow, the eldest Granger rubbed the back of his neck as he momentarily thought how much this was like the old days when they were team mates and his friend sounded no different than he did whilst threatening everyone with extra training if something wasn't done properly.

"Ok. See you in a bit then." Tyson replied as cheerfully as he could, only to be given a farewell in the form of a dial tone. Pulling a face, he placed the phone back in its cradle and walked back towards the living room, where the rest of his friends were waiting with anticipation. He said nothing for a moment as he stood before them all, their eyes watching him expectantly for answer.

"He'll be here in 10 minutes."

The room soon filled with a mixture of groans and sighs. This didn't feel like it was going to turn out to be a nice afternoon.

* * *

_**Piscesgirl09/xXxCometxXx:** Hey, hey everyone! At last I have FINALLY updated this story - I'm so sorry its taken so long; I'm hoping that if I'm careful enough with the storyline, this will turn out to be quite an interesting and moving story! Like with most of my work, I give it 100% and always give it time to develop so that it fits nicely with what I'm working towards. Stay tuned for Chapter 3 and thanks for reading - keep up with any feedback =) Cheers!_


	3. Takes One To Know One

_**The following story 'I Will Remember You' is strictly property of Piscesgirl09©.**_

_**The additional individuals of the persons Abbey, Verity Parker and Lily Krutznetsov belong exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very characters.  
The additonal individuals of the persons Abbey, Verity Parker and Lily Krutznetsov's autobiographies belong exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher these very character's autobiographies.  
The storyline of the story 'I Will Remember You' belongs exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of this very storyline.  
The ideas put forward to the creation of 'I Will Remember You' belong exclusively to Piscesgirl09: creator and publisher of these very ideas.**_

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_**I do not claim possession of any individuals of Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any of the individuals of Beyblade autobiographies.  
I do not claim possession of any of the original storyline of Beyblade.  
I do not claim possession of any of the ideas put forward in the creation of Beyblade.**_

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_**Thank you for your co-operation.**_

* * *

Kai came up the Granger driveway, already contemplating leaving without further interruption as he heard the kids giggling from around the back garden. Although as much as he thought didn't want to think so, he did sometimes have a bit of a weak spot for them – that (heaven forbid) he hoped Tyson would _never_ find out amongst other things. Yet on the rare occasion, the children would somehow persuade him to teach them how to beyblade or do something else fun with them.

Even though he had told himself from day one that he would try not to get too attached to them, he couldn't help at those times smiling at how they were all so like how their parents were in their younger days. And if he dare admit it, being able to play with them was a rare and guilty treat, particularly as he himself as a young person never really knew the meaning of it. Plus also, he would certainly have to watch out for young Makoto, who was without word of doubt the carbon copy of his father – and that was with being loud, confident and occasionally obnoxious with bad table manners too!

He eventually reached the door and rang the bell, rubbing his eyes as he felt another headache come on. He could hear loud whispering and shuffling towards the door as unmistakable navy hair came into view through the window. The door opened to reveal none other than Tyson, his face suddenly lighting up as he gave his old friend a smile. "Kai! Hey bud, how you doing? Come in – everyone's waiting for you!" He greeted cheerfully, stepping aside as he allowed his friend to enter with a familiar grunt.

The pair went silently through the corridor, the distinct adult chatter growing in volume as they reached the living room. Everyone immediately turned to see the bluenette stood in the doorway, they also smiling in greeting. "Hi Kai! Good to see you again, how have you been?" Hilary came up to him, her eyes warm as she offered him a steaming mug of coffee. A faint smile cracking on his lips, he accepted the beverage and nodded at everyone in sight as he took a careful sip.

"I'm well. And how is everyone else?" The Russian asked quietly, remaining standing whilst the Japanese male made to sit down with his wife as she stroked his hair affectionately.

"I think we're all good here – the kids seem to be enjoying themselves! They've been wanting to see you for quite a while now - particularly Makoto, whose been absolutely set on having another beyblade match with you! He's quite determined to beat you." Max piped up from the sofa, his baby blue eyes dancing with amusement as he watched the former Dragon blader exchange a look with the amethyst eyed male. Everyone else chuckled as their gazes went towards the patio doors where the children could be seen playing outside.

"I can't believe how much they've been practicing! I swear they put all of us to shame: I can't remember practicing like that when we were their age!" Ray commented, everyone else murmuring in agreement. The brown eyed Granger smirked as he cast a cheeky grin at his wife.

"That's because at their age, we didn't have good old Hilary to drive us around like slaves." He replied slyly, only to earn a sharp slap on the upside of his head.

"HEY!"

"Don't 'hey' me, Tyson Granger! You were just lazy back then and you even admitted the practice helped you a lot when we were younger! And what do you mean I drove you like slaves?" The ruby eyed female retorted spiritedly as she placed her hands on her hips and looked at her husband as though she were scolding her own son.

Tyson pouted as he rubbed where his wife had hit him (even though he would never say that it hurt – too much male pride!). "What do you mean I was lazy? I was the best blader in the world for ages! And you did so drive us like slaves – you were the one who insisted we get up at seven every morning to train!" He whined back, not missing the brunette's dramatic eye roll as she stood her ground against him.

As the two bickered between each other, the rest of the group tried to not laugh. "Here they go again! How many have we tallied so far?" The blond American grinned at the Chinese couple, who were shaking their heads with wry smiles on their faces.

"I think that's about the sixth one this afternoon." The former White Tiger blader said.

"Seventh actually!" The Japanese couple yelled in response, before resuming their argument which mainly involved raising their voices and generally getting in each other's faces. Literally. The elder Hiwatari shook his head as he rubbed it gently with his free hand, sipping quietly nearby with his coffee as he watched on with hidden content. It was good to get out of the office for an afternoon, he decided with some grudging: there wasn't much in his life nowadays that could beat hanging around with his friends and enjoying how it used to be in the old days.

His eyes strayed to the photograph of when the Bladebreakers won their very first tournament in Russia all those years ago, another small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he took all of the expressions they had on their faces: Tyson was wearing his trademark cheesy grin; Max was right behind him with his usual sweet smile; poor Kenny had been squashed between the two, so he looked slightly grim faced although he was also celebrating; Ray was nearby and jumping for joy with the rest of them as he grinned at the camera; and last but certainly not least was Kai himself, although not hugging and goofing around, he had his rare smile on – the one where for once he wasn't afraid to show the world he had some soul underneath.

Those were the days. And more often than not recently, the bluenette found himself missing the beyblading: the competition, the drive, the discipline, the adrenaline, the _fun_ – ever since the team had retired, he rarely got Dranzer out anymore. The infamous fire blade usually sat gathering dust in the cabinet back at his apartment, and only when the kids challenged him to a beybattle would he finally unlock it and spin it again. Before long, the Russian's eyes flicked back to where the navy haired male and the brunette were beginning to calm down and now return to the group conversation.

"I swear you two spend half your time arguing!" Kenny finally spoke up for the first time in the last five minutes, looking slightly weary with all that was going on, no doubt waiting patiently until he could get back to his beloved research back at the lab. The former Dragon blader shrugged as he looked at his wife, who also shrugged in return, the two now settled quietly on the chair as his arm hooked comfortably around her waist.

"Keeps the passion here – and elsewhere." He stated cheekily as he for a moment felt pleased with his little 'innuendo', only to receive his second slap of the day.

"OW!"

"Not in front of everyone Tyson! For goodness sake, one of these days Makoto will pick up something you say and God forbid, he repeats to another girl when he doesn't even understand it!" The ruby eyed female hissed disapprovingly.

"Not that it would be effective anyway – we all know Tyson's track record with women." The amethyst eyed male cut in smoothly, which caused everyone to burst out laughing as the brown eyed Granger flushed a slight pink with humiliation.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny Kai." He replied with feeble sarcasm, although laughing despite himself – typical of the former Phoenix blader: he always came in with good comic timing – though he would certainly have to have the favour returned one day soon!

The elder Hiwatari then suddenly craned his neck to look out the patio doors as something caught his eye: two toned blue hair; baggy pants and a beyblade with a launcher. Now that looked startlingly familiar. Frowning, he walked towards the door and watched the children outside, his eyes narrowed and focused on this one particular child. Before too long, Makoto suddenly spotted his uncle and started to wave at him with enthusiasm, catching the attention of the other children.

The boy with the blue hair then turned around and looked to see who was there. Kai then felt his heart skid to a halt as he found himself looking into a mirror: this child looked exactly like he did as a child, save for the clothes and the blue war paint triangles – every single feature was the young person he had once been, now standing alive once more in front of him – except, as a completely different person.

Turning stiffly towards the rest of the group, he finally found the air to open his mouth. "Care to tell me why there is a child outside who looked exactly like I used to?" He said icily, his question sounding more like an imperative as he watched the adults in the room shift uncomfortably in their seats. Verity in particular found it very hard to meet his eyes as she tried to look him in the face and offer some form of explanation.

"This is kind of what we wanted to talk to you about..."

* * *

Gou was sat in the garden quietly as he watched the boys around his age battling with a couple of girls around the same age. So far, he hadn't found much to say to them – like with most new surroundings, he tended to being more observant than diving into it all like Makoto, who was seemingly the larger-than-life soul of the group. But despite the fact that the fellow youngster was perhaps a bit loud and boisterous, he was likeable as a character: unlike some of the kids back at school in England, he had been so friendly and open towards him – it was a pleasant change for once.

"Hey guys – look! It's Uncle Kai: he's here! He's come back to see us! HELLO UNCLE KAI!" The navy haired boy suddenly yelled at the top of his voice, waving at the patio door with a huge grin on his face. The blue eyed boy's eyebrow twitched with slight confusion as he slowly turned round: his eyes widened as he saw a man standing behind the door, staring at him with dark narrowed eyes as the two stared at each other.

It didn't take long for the young boy to work out who this imposing character was. It had to be his father – why else were they looking as though they knew each other? Plus also, the unmistakable blue hair and sharp facial features were, although older and more developed, exactly like his. He didn't know what to do or say. He was completely transfixed – he had now finally met his father. He just couldn't believe it. Here was his father, right in front of him, a few metres or so away. And so soon as well…

Before long, some of the adults came outside to join the children, strained smiles on their faces. "Would you like to go inside a minute Gou? You can come back and play with the others in a minute; we just have someone we would like you to meet." Verity called from the doorway, her auburn hair now loose about her slightly worried looking face as Gou looked back at her quietly for a moment. Eventually, he started to walk in a daze towards the patio doors and allowed himself to be led inside to where the inevitable was about to happen.

As he reached indoors, he looked up to see the Russian staring down at him, unblinking as they again took in their appearance. "Come and sit here with us Gou – would you like anything to drink?" Hilary said kindly as she guided the blue eyed boy to the sofa as he shook his head in reply. Soon the adults began to sit down around the coffee table, careful not to glance at the two bluenettes as they remained completely silent.

The amethyst eyed male just could not believe what was happening: he had come all the way from work to find out that there was a boy who looked exactly like he did? Was this some kind of joke? Good God, when he would get his hands on Tyson – "Kai, would you like anything else to drink?" Speak of the devil himself, standing next to him as he cast a concerned glance at him.

Shaking his head stiffly, the former Phoenix blader went to join the rest of the group and sat down on a spare chair, folding his arms across his chest as his gaze strayed once more to study the young boy in front of him. The hazel eyed Parker swallowed as she looked at her husband, who placed a gentle hand on her waist. "Ok…well to get straight down to business, I'm going to give you the facts in their entirety, Kai: Gou here is your son. And Gou, as you already know, this is Kai, your – father." She stated bluntly, forcing herself not to close her eyes as she waited for the reaction.

To not only her surprise, Kai didn't react as everyone thought he would – in fact he didn't seem to react at all. He just blinked. Did he hear her just right? Did she just say that this boy was his child? He must be going mad, surely! Either that or the others were being delusional – but judging by the serious looks on their faces, it was rapidly becoming clear that neither was a possibility. This was what was happening: he had now just discovered after years of being single and absolutely set on the idea that he may never have a child, the seemingly impossible had just occurred.

He looked at Gou again properly this time: everything about this child – he was so how like he had been as youngster! The way he held himself so quietly; the way he could look back at him with a fearless and measured stare; the way he was so steady and mature amongst company – it was all that Kai Hiwatari had once been and sometimes still was. The navy haired man looked worriedly at his wife as he went to place a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Hey Kai, are you ok?" He asked gently, concern evident in his voice as he stared down with slightly tired brown eyes. Snapping out his daze when he felt a warm presence on his body, the bluenette quickly shoved his friend's hand off him and stood up to storm out of the room, refusing to say another word. Everyone gaped at each other before none other than Max ran out of the room to follow his friend.

The blond American rushed out just in time as the Russian headed swiftly towards his car. "Kai wait!" He yelled, running up behind the stoic man and grabbing him by the arm.

"Leave me alone, Max." The amethyst eyed man snapped as he yanked himself away from the blue eyed male, unable to look him in the eye. At the moment, it was all too much to deal with: he just could not accept this. A son. A _son_. What on earth had he been thinking coming down here in the first place? He should've just stayed in his office and none of this would've happened. He would've continued his life as normal, without interruption and without his life being turned completely upside down by one stupid child who he didn't even know.

"No Kai – you need to stop being so stupid and get back inside and face your son!" The former Turtle blader retorted as he forced himself between his friend and the car, holding his hands out wide to block the path. Growling, the former Phoenix blader looked at the fellow menacingly as he tried to push past him.

"Max, get out of my way _now_." He hissed dangerously, only to shoved back violently as he felt two firm hands bracing him on his shoulders. He blinked slightly as he saw Max holding him back with a stare that was the equivalent of stone – he was not letting him go anywhere until he spoke to his son: this was just so typical of the elder Hiwatari whenever something he didn't want to believe in came along – he just went off without saying a word and stayed out. Well not this time!

"Kai, I know you're upset and you're probably finding this difficult to take in right now – but that doesn't change the fact that Gou is your son - and no matter how much you try to deny it, he is! Before he even came here, he was living with Bryan and Lily in England – then they got him DNA tested and found out you were the father. So now Gou has been flown all the way out here because whether you like it or not, you're his legal guardian and parent."

Upon the word 'parent' and realising that he was right, Kai felt himself deflate as he pulled away from the vice grip that the blond American had on him, staring off into space as he let it all sink in. "Look, what you do with Gou is your choice from now on – but the least you could do is take him in and try to understand things first. You may not see it now, but he's a little boy whose been dragged out of his regular home environment to somewhere completely new, where it's big, scary and he doesn't know anyone here. At least spare him the understanding of knowing what it feels like. And if anything, you owe it to yourself to give him a chance as his father." He could hear his friend talking again, but his voice sounded like it was miles away. He just didn't know how to deal with it.

There was a very long silence as the two friends stood in the middle of the driveway, waiting for each other to respond. By then, Tyson had also walked out with Ray, both of them looking extremely concerned as they approached their friends with caution: although the situation hadn't exactly gone as desired, they sympathised with the bluenette in some ways – this wasn't exactly the easiest thing to accept and considering he had a terrible view of his own father over the years after he was abandoned and left to his grandfather and the dark grips of Balkov Abbey, it was somewhat understandable why he didn't want to be a parent.

But they all also knew that he had to step up to the mark one way or another. He couldn't just keep avoiding the subject because he could still be haunted by ghosts. Now it was time to prioritise, and at the moment, Gou's needs were far more important. "What the hell I am going to do?" They heard the Russian murmur to himself, as he finally blinked and looked down at the concrete, his dark hair hanging in front of his eyes. The Chinese male swallowed as he stepped forward, hoping that for once his and maybe the other's help may be of use.

"Why don't you come back inside and try to talk to him first? You don't know until you've tried." He suggested kindly, his amber eyes meeting sparkling amethyst as the fellow male finally lifted his head and nodded stiffly, before they all decided to slowly make their way back indoors to try and sort out where they would all go from here.

* * *

Gou shifted uncomfortably for about the hundredth time in his seat as he tried to settle the sick twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to cry or scream with rage – he felt like everything he might've hoped for in his father had just gone to a complete waste: he couldn't understand how someone could just walk out of the door like that without a word or even a glance. Right now he wanted to go home to Bryan and Lily so that this would never happen again and so he could live his life again like he used to. But judging by the way the adults were talking about him 'needing to catch up with his father' and them 'giving them the support they need', he wasn't going anywhere far soon.

He jumped slightly in his seat as the door opened to reveal the former Bladebreakers team walking through, his father entering in last as the others dispersed and went back to the their partners. The former Dragon blader turned to the blue eyed boy and gave a small smile as he walked over and sank down to his level sat on the chair. "We're all going to go outside a moment so you can talk to your father for a moment, if that's alright with you? If there's anything wrong, you just let one of us know, ok?" He said gently, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder as he looked honestly into dark bottomless orbs.

The young bluenette merely blinked and did not reply as he stared back into the warm brown eyes of the man who had been so welcoming to him: he could tell, that even though like most fathers he wasn't perfect, he was a great dad to Makoto – the navy haired boy seemed to be forever cheerful and that could only be down the successful nurturing his parents had given him over the years.

Seeing that nothing more needed to be said on his part, the brown eyed Granger stood up and guided the rest of the adults outside the patio doors, quickly looking back at the father and son before shutting the glass frames gently behind him. Gou fidgeted again as he avoided the sharp gaze of the elder Hiwatari, wondering whether he should just get up and walk out like his father had done the moment the truth was laid before them – if he could do it, why shouldn't he? But then he had been brought up to respect adults, no matter how rude or discourteous they were back to him, so he felt he had no choice but to stay and deal with it.

"I see you've met Tyson and the others then." A deep voice startled the small bluenette as he looked up and saw that Kai was still staring at him with cold eyes. He nodded slightly as looked down at his trainers.

"Yeah. They're...different from what it was like back home." The blue eyed boy replied quietly, his voice slightly husky as he thought of Bryan and Lily back home – he didn't understand he kept feeling this painful stab in his heart whenever he thought of them now. It wasn't like he was never going to see them again...once more, he raised his head to look at his father properly again, his eyes sombre as he looked on unblinking, fearlessly.

The bluenette gave a slight grunt as he shifted in his chair, leaning forward to rub his eyes wearily. At the moment, it was just so awkward trying to start a proper conversation – it wasn't often he talked with seven year olds, mostly because he didn't expect them to have the maturity to hold up one with him without getting upset over his usually unemotional responses. But then that didn't seem to stop the children outside from doing so most of the time. "Is it different in a good way?" He tried asking, hoping that may indicate some form of interest in his newly found offspring.

"It's kinda alright – they've been really nice to me. I guess I'm not too good with big places. New York's huge and quite noisy – I preferred it back in countryside where it was quiet." Gou said thoughtfully, thinking about all the tall towering buildings he stared at whilst in the car with the Parkers. The Russian wasn't sure whether to smile or not: he could definitely relate to his son in that respect – of course, anyone could think that way in a different mind set, but like with anything it was getting used to it.

"Do Bryan and Lily live in the countryside?" He asked.

""Ye ah. It's very pretty back in the UK – I always liked being outside, particularly in the summer when I could swim in the river near the house." The smaller bluenette paused. "Have you ever been to the UK?"

The amethyst eyed male thought for a moment as he racked his brains for a memory. But as ever with his mind being clogged up with so much else, he couldn't really remember that clearly. "A couple of times, I think. It's an interesting place." He replied, trying to picture where he could've gone.

The blue eyed boy nodded as he kicked his toes together, trying to think of something else to say. But no words could form in his mouth. And even as he tried, the eldest Granger of the household popped his head around the door. "Hey guys, are you alright?" He asked, trying not to sound too worried about them. The two Hiwatari's didn't really say much other than to murmur an 'Ok' and give a little shrug.

Had the situation been any different, Tyson knew he would've laughed: because already the two were so similar in everything they did – even the way they sat was quite comical in some ways. But he also knew that the gravity if the events hadn't passed yet: the former Phoenix blader still had yet to confirm that he was prepared to take on the responsibility of becoming a father – otherwise if worst came to worse, Gou would end being adopted or fostered. That everyone else desperately did not want for the young boy – as much as their former team mate was a very brusque and stoic man, there was something about (which may be their mad intuition going again) that they couldn't see in him that would make do such a thing.

Yet even if Kai did fully take on the role of being a parent, that was no guarantee that everything else would run smoothly. In fact, considering the Hiwatari's past track record of his rather turbulent life, everyone could only think that they would be very surprised indeed if anything as major as finding out he had a son he had never known of would ever go with some sort of fluidity.

The gaze of the former Dragon blader flickered between the two males, who merely sat there avoiding each other's stares as they slouched stubbornly in their seats, refusing to give anything away. He could only give a wry smile as the two closed their eyes and kept their faces completely immobile – it was like seeing Kai grow up all over again.

* * *

_**Piscesgirl09/xXxCometxXx:** Hey peeps! New chapter for 'I Will Remember You' all finished - sorry again for such slow updates, but they are coming along gradually! At the moment, I have to start them in groups and then work on them as I go along (constantly editing!) when I get some more inspiration or I get a sudden bout of creative energy. I hope this makes satisfactory reading anyways, and feedback appreciated as always =) Cheers!_


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